The bill, S.B. No. 1982, amends the Texas Election Code to establish new provisions regarding the creation and operation of "voting centers" during early voting and on election day. A "voting center" is defined as a polling place created under Section 42.0052, which allows commissioners courts to designate one or more voting centers in a county. The bill stipulates that precincts assigned to a voting center cannot operate separate polling places and must serve a total of no more than 5,000 registered voters. Additionally, the bill mandates that notices of elections must include the locations of these voting centers and the precincts assigned to them.

The legislation also includes several deletions and modifications to existing law, such as removing references to "consolidated precincts" and replacing them with "voting centers." It repeals various sections of the Election Code that pertain to the previous structure of precincts and polling places, streamlining the process for voters and election officials. The bill is set to take effect on September 1, 2025, and applies only to elections ordered after that date.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Election Code 1.005, Election Code 4.003, Election Code 4.004, Election Code 31.014, Election Code 32.003, Election Code 32.0511, Election Code 42.002, Election Code 42.005, Election Code 42.006, Election Code 43.002, Election Code 43.003, Election Code 85.061, Election Code 85.062, Election Code 172.1112, Election Code 172.126, Election Code 172.128, Election Code 173.007, Election Code 173.081 (Election Code 172, Election Code 32, Election Code 42, Election Code 43, Election Code 1, Election Code 85, Election Code 4, Election Code 173, Election Code 31)